Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival [WN] - Chapter 48
Beginner Hunting Part 1
“Welcome.”
The bell on the door rang, and the elderly shopkeeper scowled slightly at the appearance of the customer who had just entered.
This was a town apothecary, run by an alchemist. The apothecary did not sell only medicines to cure people’s injuries and illnesses, but also sold poisons to exterminate rats, pesticides to be sprayed on fields, and alchemical materials for ordinary alchemists.
The customer was wearing a dark gray cloak that covered the entire body, and the hood hid their face.
The owner thought this customer was one of them. Even if the customer was suspicious, they had to overlook them. Especially those who came with their faces hidden, might be the servants of the nobility, so if they refused the customers badly or offended them in any way, they were afraid of the consequences that would happen later.
“Do you sell monster materials?”
“Of course we do, but we don’t sell anything other than alchemy materials. If you want something rare, you’ll have to go to the Adventurers’ Guild or the Commerce Guild.”
The customer, who might have been a young woman or child from the sound of her voice, shook her head at the shopkeeper’s words and ordered materials that were not rare in this town nor rare for this store to sell.
“Are you an alchemist? That’s quite an unusual combination. Can you tell me what you would use it for?”
The owner, curious as a fellow alchemist, inquired as he pulled the ordered items out of the back of the store, to which the customer who was settling the bill turned and spoke up briefly as she left the store.
“It’s just pest control.”
***
It took about ten days to arrive in the territory of the Count Centralia.
According to the knowledge of that woman, this was a town through which the main road leading from the Royal Capital to the neighboring Duchy of Gordel passed, and it was a fairly large town, though not as large as Dandol.
Perhaps it was because it was located by the sea that I could smell something strange, but was this the smell of the tide as described in the Knowledge?
Perhaps it was because I had not passed through any towns or even decent roads during my training before coming here, so the traveling clothes I had been wearing had become almost as ragged and tattered as before.
I entered the town from the slum side as usual, but I changed into new clothes and applied [Clean] to the clothes as I was about to go out onto the street.
Hiding my face with the hood of my cloak, I lightly toured the city and used the materials I purchased along the way to kill time while making medicine in the ruins of the slum until dark.
According to the information I got along the way, the dungeon in this town was an insect-based dungeon. If that was the case, this medicine I was making should be usable.
After confirming that the sun had set, I headed for the main street that I had spotted during the day. After looking around the city at night, I arrived at my destination before the first bell, which indicated midnight, rang.
The bell was from the largest church in the city. I entered the empty confession room, which was open all day long, and waited patiently for the right moment.
Gooooon…
I opened the bench that was not supposed to be unlocked, retrieved the bundle of papers stored inside, put the bench back in its original position, and walked out of the church.
On the main street, even at this hour, there were people in bars and other places, but by the time I reached the area where the church was located, not even a single soul could be seen, and I let out a faint sound as I stared at the supposedly empty street.
“Hmmm…”
This document contained information on the target that had been checked out by the liaison officer here.
The last date was two days ago, and to that extent, the information was almost up-to-date.
The target, novice-hunting thieves, [Blade Fang], were hunting in a dungeon about half a day away from this town, and they showed up at the adventurer’s guild here two days ago at noon.
They worked for a week, diving in the dungeon for four days and resting for three days, including travel, and found their next prey during their break.
Their targets were teenagers under Rank 2, and those who were well-dressed were robbed of their money and equipment, while those who were good-looking were apparently kidnapped and sold via guilds.
However, even if they could not find the right prey, they would not forcibly hunt the person who might have some skills, so in such cases, they would act as normal adventurers to avoid being noticed by the people that they were thieves.
Although their reputation in the Adventurers’ Guild was not good, they were not punished because there was no evidence against them. Rather, it was noted that the rough-and-tumble adventurers would sometimes suspect and sympathize with them, thinking that it was simply the novice’s own fault.
A poor reputation in the Adventurers’ Guild was possible to lead to a change of base, and immediate action might be warranted… huh? I see.
***
The next morning, in order to prepare, I went to a newly opened clothing store and an armor store to get the necessary equipment.
I had intended to spend as little as possible, but even with my knowledge, the actual shopping experience was different, and I spent almost all of my advance of one gold coin.
Well, half of my budget was for this sorcerer’s staff, so I made a mental note not to lose it and to sell it later. The other items were old and used clothes, so I didn’t care if they were dirty, since I would probably get a good deal on them, no matter where I bought them.
Most adventurers checked in the morning to see if there were any requests and then set out on their adventure.
Most adventurers usually went to the dungeon to get magic stones from demons, but the basics should still be the same.
As I made my preparations and headed for the Adventurers’ Guild, I was met with the same kind of gazes I had felt before.
This did not change after I entered the Adventurers’ Guild. However, when I had entered the guild with Viro for the first time, I had a feeling that I would have been tangled with someone if he had not been there, but this time, the kind of stares I was receiving were different.
They looked at me but did not get involved with me. My guess was that I would have gotten tangled up with them to some extent if I had dressed a little clumsily…
But I was certain that I mustn’t dress any other way if I wanted to attract the target’s attention, and as time went by and the guild members started to get suspicious, I was finally approached by someone.
“Hey, you, are you alone?”
At the sound of such a frivolous voice, I turned from the bulletin board I was looking up at and saw that it was a group of mid-teenage boys who had just come of age who approached me.
I saw the young adventurer hesitate as he tried to call out to them several times, but when I saw their faces, I let out a sigh in my heart.
…Outliers, huh?
“…I’m sorry, sir. I’ll pass.”
As I bowed my head gently with the gestures I had learned from my maid training, I felt a slight gasp from not only the boys, but also from the surrounding people.
This time, I was dressed as a typical girl. I was a woman to begin with, so perhaps the term “cross-dressing” was not quite right, but this time I was dressed in an exceptionally feminine outfit.
I released the illusion of ashes and had let my long hair hang loose, so that whenever I moved, my peach-blonde hair swept down my back.
I was dressed in a dark green one-piece dress that cost a silver coin, and I was told that I would look like a petite 12-year-old if I kept my composure.
I figured I should look like a [novice magician] with soft leather armor and a cane in my hand.
I was using the gestures I had learned from the maids to look like a naive young lady, but from the surrounding reactions, was I being a little too polite…?
When I looked at the boys’ faces to see if I had failed, they seemed agitated, and their faces also had a suspicious shade of red.
“Oh, we’ve just come out of the village, and we’re looking for a group for a party.”
“You’re a magician, right? We’re in the vanguard, so I think we’d make a good party.”
“We’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to you…”
“…”
Their appearance reminded me of those boys who attacked me while I was bathing in the forest.
Again… should I crush them? As I squinted my eyes for a moment, thinking of that, another different voice came from behind them.
“Hey, you boys, can’t you see that the little lady is troubled?”
Three adventurers in their mid-twenties admonished the boys with such words.
One of them stepped between me and the boys, while the other two grabbed them by the shoulders and pulled them away from me.
The adventurers looked stronger than us, and the boy who had first approached me was pressured, but he still insisted.
“We’re simply inviting her to go on an adventure…”
“Hey, stop messing around with the girl and go hunt some rabbits!”
One of the adventurers glared at the boys and chased them away.
As I watched them leave, the short-haired man who first approached me smiled reassuringly and showed a few words of concern for me.
“Miss, are you alright? It’s not safe for a girl like you to be alone.”
“But I got rid of him already, so I’m fine.”
“Not all adventurers are like them. They are still young, so please forgive them.”
The other two men, too, gave amiable smiles and used pleasant words, but they tried to psychologically induce me into thinking that I shouldn’t be alone.
A short-haired man with a one-handed sword and shield.
A red-haired man with a hatchet and a bow.
A man with a shaved head holding two daggers.
His appearance matched the information I received.
…Now that really did hit the mark.
“…Thank you very much.”
I bowed my head quietly and gave them a polite smile, which was not my forte, but they still interpreted my attitude positively.
“Nervous? Don’t worry, you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“But they were seemingly interested in you. Are you okay?”
“I wonder if they’re waiting for us outside.”
One of them sounded reassuring, while the other two were making small talk that would make me anxious.
“I see…”
I frowned slightly, thinking it would be a real hassle if that was the case. As I was pondering over the possibility and consequences, the first man let out a refreshing smile and provided a single suggestion, as if he had practiced and said it numerous times beforehand.
“If you don’t mind, can you tag along with us for a couple of days? Even if it’s just until we know it’s safe.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“That would give you some peace of mind as well.”
The three of them smiled at me, saying all kinds of things that were convenient for me, and I pretended to think for a moment, then nodded my head slightly.
“…If you don’t find it troublesome, would you be so kind as to do that for me?”
…they had taken the bait.
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